The water remains relatively cool (blue) all day while the Statue of Liberty warms up when exposed to the sun (red). A haze layer exits near the ground, and the particles and droplets in this layer emit “longwave thermal radiation” in the far infrared portion of the spectrum. The haze closest to the ground is relatively warm (red, orange), while the temperature decreases with increasing altitude (yellow to green to blue). The ground is heated both by sunlight and the longwave radiation emitted by the atmosphere. Haze layers over urban areas increase the longwave heating, especially overnight, and promote warmer temperatures.

The large electric screen generates heat and appears red in the thermal image. The yellow taxi in sunlight (pink, red) on the right is warmer than the white van (green) to its left. The dark-colored automobile in the lower left absorbs sunlight efficiently and appears pink and red. The release of heat via concentrated energy use contributes to the air in urban areas being warmer than in rural surroundings.